Helicopter ER: Yorkshire Air Ambulance called to Sheffield woods after biker breaks eight ribs in horror crash

Professional mountain biker Davi Birks was cycling through woodland in Sheffield when he hit a tree and was knocked out. As he drifted in and out of conscious, he was remarkably able to get back on the saddle and flag down a dog walker to call for help – despite the extent of his injuries.

The emergency services managed to pinpoint Davi’s location using the life-saving What3words app, which generates a unique three-word address using GPS, and Yorkshire Air Ambulance was dispatched. The helicopter crew assessed Davi before flying him to Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital after it became clear he had sustained serious chest damage.

Once at the hospital, doctors discovered he had broken eight ribs, severely displaced his shoulder, and sustained multiple punctures to his lungs. It was six months before he was able to get back on his bike following a lengthy recovery process. He said: “Recovery has been pretty tough. I’m used to leading a pretty active lifestyle so to have that taken away from you is really hard.”

“Mountain biking means everything to me. I’ve always been around mountain bikes from riding motocross when I was younger to now working in the mountain biking industry. It’s a big part of my life. Without mountain biking, part of my identity has been taken away, but slowly and surely, I’m getting back into it,” he added.

Remarkably, it wasn’t the first time Davi had reason to be thankful for the air ambulance service. Three years ago, he had to be rescued after nearly drowning at Loch Ness.

Davi’s story featured on an episode of Helicopter ER, which first aired on Tuesday, November 1 and is available on catch-up TV.